Thrills of Tubbataha Trails (Part I)

I have written enough about the planning, waiting and seizing our great Tubbataha dream and needless to say that along come with it were the unending thrills and joy as the countdown started. Now, it took me awhile to finally scribble what’s inside me – really how ironic that while my heart and mind was filled with treasured sweet memories from the trip, I don’t want to scribble anything about it – not yet. And just like what Angel said in his SMS after our trip, the memories of our great dives keeps playing in my mind.

The Waiting is Over

The headstrong in me pushed me enough to vanish from never ending work even without my approved leave on hand, the thrills had gotten me enough courage to simply digress. The morning horizons when I left Cagayan de Oro promised a sunny day, and I was hoping such would be the condition in the next four days in the Sulu Sea. Though I promised Sir Dodong Uy (our team leader) I would see them at CdeO airport, I haven’t talked to my companions until we reached Puerto Princesa.

But I caught up Fr. John Young, SJ at Mactan pre-departure and briefly chat with him until we separated for the boarding. Smiling I said to him, “I made it!” which he immediately corrected, “We made it!” He told me last December when I first met him that it’s been three summers for his Tubbataha attempt. Well, Angel and I only missed one attempt for the Dive Tubbataha 2010 plans.

The next morning we were in Sulu Sea purely surrounded with blue waters – Tubbataha at last! I belonged to the Red Group – Sir Dong & Ma’am Nana, Fr. John, Doc Candy, Sir Jan, Mark, and Angel – with DM Wally assigned to us.

Day 1. Our first dive schedule was at 9am for a check-out, though most of the divers wanted it sooner as we arrived earlier. Our first descent was at Malayan Wreck not so far away from where HCA moored, though we didn’t get near the wreck but went to a wall covered with gorgonians in variety of colors along with hard and soft corals. I was most fascinated with sharks – white tips and gray reef – just swimming coyly below us just like any other fish. In a few minutes I was hyperventilating and catching my breath and I wondered, I signaled and DM Wally with Sir Dong was at the rescue. My usual 6 lbs weight was too heavy and so in my succeeding dives I have 4 lbs weight which I found comfortable. We had a dose of sharks in our second and third dive at Wall Street and Amos Rock respectively, plus variety of reef fishes. Our fourth and last dive of the day was bit late already it was almost a night dive, we descend at Ranger Station with our torch. There wasn’t much fish life, they could have taken refuge already in their abodes. We uncovered some dwellers though on rocks and crevices – groupers, snappers and sweet lips. Sea cucumbers were abundant too. Such lovely sightings in our first day.

Sea Turtle among the colorful corals

Day 2. Blessed again with good weather, we woke up earlier on our second day as first dive was at 6am. We hope for more good sightings, the sharks have become very common already. Our first descent was at Shark Airport – and true to its name, white tips and gray reefs keep darting now and then! There were sharks again on our second site at Seafan Alley I watch in awe with the abundance of large and thick seafans in variety of colors on the wall. Aside from variety of reef fishes, we sighted turtles – one was feeding on corals and didn’t go away when we watched him and another one we met when we are about to ascend. The day’s highlight was on our third dive, everybody was thrilled. We were floating as we watch the scenery at the Shark Airport, I catch a glimpse of something black coming toward us, at first I didn’t recognize. I got a good view watching the devil ray swimming above us until it disappeared! We went back to Seafan Alley on our last dive – we had sharks again, triggerfishes, more reef fishes plus school of jacks. Two days of diving at North Atoll was just perfect.

Day 3. We were up again early for the 6am dive, with the skies somewhat overcast. We had the greatest surprise on that Sunday morning at Delsan Wreck! We didn’t go to the wreck but stayed on the sandy slope with a shallow wall beyond resembling like a bowl. There was some current and swam a bit like waiting, barely 9 minutes after descending I was at 30 meters when there was some commotion. Lo and behold – the whale shark! Everything went fast, everybody was moving fast – I went deeper at 33.8m to get a good view watching in awe underneath. The great whale shark with white tips, gray reefs, tunas and giant trevally swimming with him side by side, and as if giving as a chance to take another look – they circled once more in great display for all of us. The sight was so enthralling! Before we ascend, there was a large school of jacks before as we went shallower. Our next descent was at the Lighthouse which didn’t disappoint us, we went to the wall covered with seafans and variety of corals. We had sharks again- black tips and gray reef, barracuda, blue fin trevally, big morays, jacks, parrots and sea turtle. After our surface interval for our third dive, the waters become choppy so DM Wally advised to defer our dive until the waters will be manageable. We made our last descent for the day past 4pm already, grateful we made it. Black Rock was another wall dive, decorated with seafans, sponges and corals in variety of colors. We sighted triggers, chromis, cardinals, groupers, sweet lips, puffers, wrasses and lot more. It doesn’t matter we only had three descents for the day, the whale shark sighting was more than enough to compensate for it. It was a blessed Sunday indeed at South Atoll….

Great whaleshark!

Day 4. On our last day, our boat went back to North Atoll for the scheduled dives. We had overcast skies again but everyone hoped we could complete the dives. Our boat tender riding on the waves as we went to Malayan Wreck for our first descent, our group agreed to just stay at the wall and had an easy dive. I just observed all the fish and creatures before me as I went through, although everyone’s hoping for another surprise. J There were yellow and black breams, damsels, surgeons, fusiliers, bluefin trevally, triggers, humphead wrasse, moray and of course sharks. The white tip swimming coyly below me just like any ordinary fish. The weather has been down cast and it started to drizzle already. After more than two hours interval we geared for the next dive which was my last descent at the reefs, notifying our DM. My noon flight the next day restricted me to let go of the last dive of the cruise. There wasn’t rain anymore but the waves persisted. We went back to Malayan Wreck determined to make most of my last descent as Fr John urged. We went for the wall observing the fish life there, the visibility still good. There were triggers, breams, trevally, snappers, fusiliers and variety of chromis. After 40 minutes, I slowly ascend for my safety stop to a coral garden watching the reef fishes, then DM Wally signaled for a shark pointing ahead of me – there it was! On a spot of white sands about 6 meters from the surface, there lying flat on the sand a lone gray reef shark almost a meter in size. Lying peacefully asleep on its habitat – what a wonderful sight! Perching behind the corals for few minutes, I watched it in awe J Angel came over and went far by taking a photo – perhaps disturbed by the lights, it quickly swam away. L Though it was time to surface, we still linger in the coral garden until Angel pointed out the wreck just a little ahead of us – how can I be short-sighted! We quickly swam to the spot grateful that there wasn’t current, circled and went around. I was thrilled – I love wrecks! There was lot of dwellers down the wreck – giant groupers, trevally, sweet lips, wrasses, parrots and more – such an active fish life. We managed to take some photos and explored a bit but heard signals to get back to chase boat for the ascent. It started to rain already and the waters getting more choppy. Angel and I was the last as we raced back for the boat, which we can hardly see underwater. We hold unto the boat as it quickly left the spot as the waves getting fiercer. I hold on to Angel’s hand while we’re on the raging waters with the boat moving until he got on, and the stairs was moved for me to climb up. Sometimes you need to be tough to survive certain conditions. Anyway, the small wreck was a fine way to end my quest at the reefs, it was my longest dive during the cruise at 63 minutes. We sped off riding on the waves to take refuge in the yacht.

Pair of many-spotted sweetlips

The great waterworld of Tubbataha is a piece of heaven on earth. The exhilaration of being surrounded by colorful fish of great variety is simply hard to equal. It was a very moving experience. While you’ve probably seen photos and videos on diving, you won’t understand what it’s really like or how it really felt until you’ve experienced it yourself.